Financial aid

“An investment in education pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin

To open our doors to the growing number of families seeking alternatives to traditional education, Mountaineer Montessori School offers a tuition assistance program based upon financial need. Our goal is to increase community representation and remove obstacles to students who would benefit from and contribute to our special learning environment. Thanks to successful fundraising and generous donors, the MMS financial aid has expanded significantly in recent years.

The MMS financial program uses an external service, FAST, to help determine the level of tuition support we are able to offer to an applicant’s family. Through this program, parents submit financial information to an independent organization that reviews a family’s financial situation and suggests an appropriate level of tuition that it can pay. All information is strictly confidential.

Applying for financial Aid

The FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) service provides a need-based financial aid analysis that includes an income verification process. FAST is a service provided by Independent School Management, Inc. (ISM). All information from FAST remains confidential and is reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee only. Families must apply for financial aid each school year.

Before applying for financial aid, a student must have received an enrollment packet through the admissions process. Current families’ accounts must be in good standing.

Current families’ commitment to MMS through volunteerism, participation in school events and active engagement in your child’s education may be considered. MMS is committed to making partial tuition grants available to as many eligible applicants as possible, subject to enrollment capacity, school resources and the number of qualified applicants.

The online application process is self-guided and accessed by clicking the FAST logo below. You can partially complete an application and go back to it a later time. (**Important note: when beginning the application, enter your name on the application exactly as it appears on your tax return.)

After you complete your application, you will mail copies of your tax return, W-2s and any other needed financial information to FAST. Do not send originals. (See mailing details below.)

There is a non-refundable application fee of $41, payable by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. The application fee will be billed as Independent School Management (ISM). Do not mail your financial documents until you have paid the FAST application fee.

Once you have completed the application and submitted payment, use the “FAST Quick Processing System” to print a bar code page and mail it with your tax documents. (You can log back into your application and click on the link “Quick Processing for Tax documents to be sent.”)

Prior to mailing your documents, write “Mountaineer Montessori School” under your return address on the envelope. Pre-addressed envelopes are available upon request in the school office. The mailing address is: